TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC THERMAL SOLAR COLLECTOR FOR COGENERATION OF ELECTRICITY AND HOT AIR-WATER

In this paper, a theoretical study of a hybrid photovoltaic cum therma l (PV/T) solar system is presented. The system investigated consists o f a solar cell panel for electricity generation, and air/water is made to flow in a duct placed below the surface on which the solar cells a re mounted to extract heat from the system, thereby cooling the cells and increasing their efficiency. The mathematical model developed for predicting the performance of the system is based on energy balance eq uations written for the various nodes of the system, and the coupled d ifferential equations obtained are solved by using the forward step ma rching finite difference technique. The temperatures of the solar cell s and of the outlet fluid as a function of time are predicted. The per formance of the PV/T system is compared with that of a conventional ph otovoltaic panel.